AR Sponsor
Posted: 11/27/2012 7:49:12 AM EDT
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Well the title pretty much sums it up. Soon i will have all the parts to start building my first ar 300 blk but since i live with my parents and we dont have a designated room set up with a bench and vise etc etc etc. I was wondering if anyone has gone through this before and actually built an AR without it while minimizing cost. I have a brand new vise i bought for a bench i plant on building for the shed we are building but that will be a while before it happens.
Anyways i need ideas from those who have done it without it or those who just have ideas of how to do it without it. I have a few of my own but they may not be the best. |
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If you're building an upper, you should have a vice to hold the receiver while you torque the barrel. Though if determined, Im sure you could get around that somehow... If all you are building is a lower, you can do that with nothing more than the punch set and your hands sitting in the floor. Far from ideal, but you could.
One should note your chance of scratches and lost parts are going to go way up. In terms of final function of the weapon, it'll work just the same... |
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Quoted:
If you're building an upper, you should have a vice to hold the receiver while you torque the barrel. Though if determined, Im sure you could get around that somehow... If all you are building is a lower, you can do that with nothing more than the punch set and your hands sitting in the floor. Far from ideal, but you could. One should note your chance of scratches and lost parts are going to go way up. In terms of final function of the weapon, it'll work just the same... Nope! Doing the whole set up. I do plant on using a vise i was just wondering if there were ways of successfully using a vise without having to make a bench and spend close to $100, not to mention i dont have to put it afterwards without going to waste.... |
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Quoted:
Save the wood for the workbench when you finish the build. http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab260/sphinxnc/vise.jpg Nice!! Thanks man, appreciate it ;) |
| You don't need a vise nor a bench. My first AR was build from parts w/o vise or bench and it has fired thousands of rounds. Rout out 2x6s to hold the upper and stand on it while torquing barrel. will need a one inch dowel in bolt channel to prevent crushing the ejection port section. |
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although i agree with you on saving the lumber for the actual work bench if that isn't an option then this would be the next step, the biggest problem i have is also am looking at using this as my bench for doing reloading and i dont know if ill have enough through on the rcbs lever re-loader i'm looking for.
here the poker/beer napkin drawing..... 
l-length w-width D-depth i used left over 3 inch drywall screws with square bit. 
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| My dad and i converted some kind of gardening table we got for free into a work bench. installed opening wodden top and such. What kind of vice do we need for gunsmith work? All the ones i saw online were like 150-300 dollars if not more. does it need to be 4 inch 6 inch etc etc? |
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Niiiiiiiiiiiice!!! Like it!!! Thanks for posting picture! |
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Well i am building a new concrete shed, large one and i want to get it very organized and definitely will have a work bench with the vise and grinding wheel for sharpening tools and racks and the whole shebang, i just didnt want to waste the wood because once i place it outside the elements will tare it up, specially in Miami, FL where there is a lot of heat and rain!!!
So i'll do the board thing and attach the vise temporarily until i get my shed done and do a bad ass work bench where i want to also start investing on reloading equipment so i can do that as well. I appreciate everyone's input, much appreciated 
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Quoted: snip So i'll do the board thing and attach the vise temporarily until i get my shed done and do a bad ass work bench where i want to also start investing on reloading equipment so i can do that as well. I appreciate everyone's input, much appreciated
Its one thing to bolt a vise to a sturdy plank of wood, but simply sitting or standing on the plank will not suffice to counter the torque applied when tightening the barrel nut. Instead, park a heavy vehicle with one wheel on the plank to hold it secure. - CW |
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Uppers, yeah, the vice and block is really good to have. Lowers, I buld on the couch with a pair of channel locks, a pair of needle-nose pliers, a razor blade (to keep the pivot pin spring/pin down while sliding the pin in), a roll-pin punch set, and a hammer.
Mike |
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Get a 24" x 24" piece of 3/4 plywood.
Get some 3/8-16 thread pitch machine screws with bevel head. Countersink the bevel heads into the bottom of the plywood and bolt your vice to the plywood with the nuts and washers on top. This provides a smooth surface on the bottom of the plywood with no bolts sticking out if done correctly Throw down a towel or rag and then clamp this assembly to any table and get to work on your AR ! Edit: There is a bevel cutting bit you can buy at the home store that will easily cut the correct bevel for those machine screws. Caveman easy. Journeyman tip: Always, always cut the bevel first, before drilling the hole if using a hand-held drill motor. Drilling the hole first blows out the "center" so then the bevel cutter wobbles and makes a sloppy bevel. Going first with the bevel cutter allows the cutter to track on its own "center" producing a clean bevel. |
| Use a Black and Decker Workmate or a Harbor Freight Folding work station and get a piece of plywood and some carrage bolts. Makes a great work bench and a reloading bench just change the plywood top. I have one that is set up for reloading and one with a vice is on another piece of wood. Also you can use the bench for it's real purpose IE as a moblie work station. Best of all it folds up and will not take up to much space...Simple easy and cheap... |
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